


The Stag and the Fawn

by clarkjoekent



Series: Shikaku Week 2020 [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, Shikaku is a good dad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:48:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25226335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clarkjoekent/pseuds/clarkjoekent
Summary: Shikaku uses their annual hike to talk about something serious.Shikaku Week Day 3 - Prompt: Forest
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Nara Shikaku/Nara Yoshino, Nara Shikamaru/Temari
Series: Shikaku Week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1813600
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33
Collections: Shikaku Week 2020





	The Stag and the Fawn

**Author's Note:**

> Day three! I'm so in love with the idea that Shikamaru becomes a meteorologist bc he stares at the clouds so much. I wanted to be a tornado chaser with my dad but. I changed my mind. Maybe.

"Wake up." Shikaku sat on the edge of his son's bed. Trying to wake him up was like taming a wild deer. "Shikamaru."

A twitch in his face signaled that he was awake and faking so Shikaku went in for the kill. He pulled the blankets off Shikamaru and folded them, placing them neatly on the chair 6 feet away from his son's bed.

"We leave in 20 minutes." Shikaku heard the groan of an angry teenager and laughed.

They plan this trip every year, and every year it's been getting harder to get Shikamaru to come along. Last year the kid had finals and there was no way around it. This year however, was different. Shikamaru graduated high school and in three months he was moving to go to college.

It was going to be the last trip for a while and Shikaku wanted this to be the best trip the two of them have had. For memory sake.

Shikaku packed the car and made some coffee, waiting for Shikamaru to meander out into the kitchen with his pack.

"Why do we have to leave so early?" Shikamaru yawned and threw his bag in the seat next to him. The sun wasn’t set to rise for at least 4 hours. 

"We have to beat the traffic." Shikaku was used to this run around with his son. Same questions every year.

"There's no traffic to get to the campsite. There never is." Shikamaru grabbed the cereal box and filled his bowl, yawning the whole time.

"Because we leave early, every time." Shikaku chuckled and watched his son shovel food in his mouth with his eyes closed. He filled his thermos full of hot coffee. "We also need to get to the site before the sun rises."

"Why?"

"Why not." Shikaku ruffled his son's hair and walked out to the car. Shikamaru followed shortly after, throwing his bag in the back seat and buckling in, before leaning his seat back and falling asleep.

Not that Shikaku blamed him. It was a three hour drive, with no traffic. Which there wasn't any, like usual. The quiet car drive gave Shikaku time to think about problems from work and the future.

Shikamaru coming home a year ago claiming he wanted to be a meteorologist was a shock for Shikaku but upon further introspection it shouldn't have been. Shikamaru spent a majority of his life watching the clouds and documenting them. The school that offered meteorology as a major was in Suna, a half a day's drive from Konoha.

Whether it had something to do with Temari, the exchange student that has caught his son's affections, was a whole different conversation.

Shikaku was hoping to talk to his son about everything, making sure he was ready to leave. Part of him didn't have to ask, he already knew Shikamaru was more than capable physically. Mentally however is a whole different subject.

Shikaku pulled the car into a parking space outside of the campgrounds and pushed his son gently, waking him up.

"Already?" Shikamaru mumbled, rubbing the side of his face that was stuck to the window.

"Yeah, kid. Let's go." Shikaku slid out of the car and opened the trunk, grabbing the tent and the cooler. Shikamaru got the rest of the bags, and they trudged to their favorite spot.

The forest they camped in every year was originally a distant relative's, until they decided making it a protected park was easier to take care of, it had grown miles since. The deer was always happy to be near Shikaku and Shikamaru, as if they knew the Nara Clan owned the land.

They set the tents up as the sun was peeking over the skyline. It was beautiful.

"Wow. I missed this." Shikamaru stopped working and watched the dark blue sky change to shades of pinks and purples.

"The last few years it was cloudy when we hiked. Good to know we will have some sun." Shikaku smiled at his son, the awe on his face was interesting to watch.

"I don't mind cloudy weather if you can see individual clouds, not a blanket of grey." Shikamaru looked back at his dad and then shrugged. "Even dark rain clouds are nice."

"That does sound nice." Shikaku laughed. 

They waited until the sun was mostly up to start the hike to their favorite lake. It was a few miles out from the campsite but it was worth the walk to see the deer that wandered to the watering hole.

"Do you think Mom's doe will be around?" Shikamaru stopped and glanced at his father, who was taking his time catching up to his son.

"Probably. She's a skittish one. Maybe she mated and had babies."

Shikamaru's eyes lit up. "Baby deer. We can name them."

"Are you sure you don’t want to be in the wildlife business?" Shikaku asked, stopping next to Shikamaru.

He just rolled his eyes and huffed. "I don't want to be in the family business."

The Nara Clan was used to taking care of farm and wildlife animals. Shikaku went to school to be a wildlife veterinarian and met Yoshino who was going to the same school but for agriculture. They meshed well and got married.

Unfortunately Yoshino died in a car wreck, dodging a wounded stag in the middle of the road.

Shikamaru named a doe after her and they've tried to find her for the last 5 years.

They walked in comfortable silence, listening to the bird calls and the autumn wind rustling the crunchy leaves that have to fall off the tall trees.

They made it to the lake and sure enough there was plenty of deer gathered around the water. Shikaku pointed to each breed and spouted off little facts about them. Facts that he was sure Shikamaru knew from the years of hiking, but his son didn't say anything to stop him.

They couldn't find the doe but they did see a newborn deer hobbling to the water to drink. It made Shikaku's heart melt.

It could also be the picture of the stag helping his new born hobble around, reminding him of all the times he watched Shikamaru waddle around the house, grabbing onto whatever he could to hoist himself up and walk.

"Dad?" Shikamaru called out, pointing to the sky. There was a fluffy yet dark cloud on it's way to cover the sun. "It's going to drizzle."

It was warning enough for them to head back to camp. They were caught in a little rain but it wasn't something they really cared about, if they weren’t soaked to the bone. They couldn't start a fire just yet but they did have some snacks. Shikaku took them out of his pack while Shikamaru crawled into the tent.

"Pass the chips Dad." Shikamaru grabbed his favorite flavor - barbecue - and started munching.

"You need to curve your chip eating." Shikaku laughed. The kid hated chips unless Choji was around. However, Choji went off on a trip and Shikamaru eats chips to cope losing his best friend for a month.

"I will when I go off to school." Shikamaru rolled his eyes. “You can lay off the coffee.” 

“Okay, okay. I see you’re cranky.” Shikaku dodged the empty chip bag that his son aimed at his head. Almost as if Yoshino was watching them, the doe they named after her appeared outside of their campsite. She had a distinct while patch on her back that looked like a heart. 

“Dad, she’s here.” Shikamaru watched the doe look around and eventually settle on the edge of the campsite. Her fawn snuck up on the tent and poked their little head inside, nearly scaring both men. 

“Wow, she did have a baby.” Shikaku let the fawn sniff around until it bounded towards their tired mother. 

“I was going to be really upset if I didn’t get to see her before we left.” Shikamaru’s eyes were glossy, tears threatening to spill over. Shikaku just patted his son’s back. 

There was some comfortable silence, Shikaku looking out of the open tent flap, the rain stopped a few minutes into them entering the tent. 

"Are you sure Suna is the best place for you?" Shikaku asked to break the silence by making sure his son was making good decisions.

"Yeah, Dad. It's got the best program for me and I really love the school. I'm not going to miss out on a full ride." Shikamaru acted like his father was nagging him but there was a look in his eyes that said the opposite.

"Okay. I trust you." Shikaku let the conversation drop, not knowing really how to continue it. Yoshino was better at talking to him.

"I'm going to miss you." Shikamaru looked at his father.

"I'm just a few hours away. You know to call me when you need anything. I'll drop everything and help you." Shikaku inched closer to his son and put his arm around his shoulders.

"Maybe you can move to Suna."

"Shika, don't tempt me." He chuckled but felt the knot of emotion in his throat.

"Mom would love Temari." Shikamaru switched the subject, not wanting to cry in the middle of the forest.

"She would've adored her." Shikaku smiled at the image of Temari kicking his son's ass at shogi. It made Shikamaru so mad he walked out of the house. Shikaku had the pleasure of talking to her while his son was throwing a fit. "She's level headed and she doesn't let you get away with anything. Perfect."

Shikamaru laughed, a sound Shikaku was going to miss.

"I love you, Dad. Thanks for waking me up this morning. I would've hated missing this." Shikamaru was looking into his chip back, avoiding his father's gaze. "The last trip for a while?"

"Yeah looks that way, but we can always make other trips. You can show me around Suna and introduce me to Temari's brothers."

"Deal." Shikamaru held out his pinky for his father to take, completing the silent promise to never leave each other.

There was no longer a single worry Shikaku had over his son moving far away. He knew Shikamaru was ready to go off and carve his own future. 

Yoshino would be proud.


End file.
